Chapter 39: Fighting a War for Peace

A/N: This chapter got a little out of hand, whatever, it's fine. I had honestly thought I'd have wrapped up most of Beyond canon in the last chapter, but this movie owns my soul and I can't stop writing about it. So all the after-movie stuff that I needed still happens in this chapter, but it ended up being longer than I was expecting. Which, hopefully, is the opposite of a problem!

Title of this chapter comes from the song Feel It Still by Portugal the Man. And a lot of my chapter titles are usually really random or even nonsensical, but I like this one because it's weirdly layered. But explaining why would be telling, so get to reading instead!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Star Trek, which is upsetting, because I could increase the slash by so much, and it could only improve the movies.

Pavel Chekov was listening as intently as everyone else for the voices of Spock and McCoy from the drone ship belonging to Krall's forces. The pair had been beamed over, despite McCoy's vehement objections, and hopefully would be sending back a key for defeating the swarm.

Nyota went still, one hand going to her headset as she listened to the incoming transmission. "That was the signal! They weren't jamming us, they were talking to each other!" she exclaimed.

"Well, how do we get them to stop talking?" Kirk asked.

"What about electromagnetic focusing?" Scotty asked. "We can use the transporter to disrupt the network."

"The focus might be too specific," Spock's voice came over the comms for all of them to hear. "If we can plant some sort of disruptive communication signal inside the swarm, it might adversely affect their capacity to communicate."

Chekov was already nodding. "It vould haff to be a frequency dey vill not anticipate."

"It will cause a chain reaction that could wipe out the whole swarm," Hikaru added, relief appearing on his face for the first time since he and Chekov had been reunited.

"Sir, a closed network like that might be susceptible to a very high frequency," Scotty exclaimed.

"VHF…" Kirk murmured thoughtfully. "Radio. We can broadcast something from the ship to cut their links. Something loud and distracting."

Scotty visibly perked up, his eyes bright with excitement. "Loud and distracting? Ah've got just th' thing!"

Before very long, Scotty was hooking up what appeared to be a truly ancient radio to their speakers, with Jaylah hovering over him anxiously. "Do not break my music!" she exclaimed.

'Break it?" Scotty asked, a laugh cutting through his voice. "You're gettin' an upgrade!"

Hikaru distracted Chekov from watching the banter with his tense utterance. "Krall's ships are sixty seconds from breaking through."

Chekov turned to look at the fragile-looking glass-like orb that held Yorktown. If the crystalline protective barrier broke, there were redundancies in place to protect the citizens from losing their oxygen or being sucked into unforgiving space. But there were no protections against the weapon. Hikaru had said little about the weapon, other than that it was capable of wiping out every living being in Yorktown. But Chekov knew his boyfriend, and knew that he was legitimately afraid of whatever Krall had in his possession.

Scotty swore out loud as the radio sparked and let off a muted bang.

"Let her do it!" Nyota exclaimed, standing over Scotty with her hands on her hips. Jaylah shot Nyota a considering look before diving into the mess of wires with supreme confidence. In only a few seconds, she leaned back with a smirk.

Scotty took her success in stride. "Captain, we are ready tae broadcast. The signal won't travel far. We have tae get closer."

"How close?" Kirk asked.

Scotty shrugged. "Very."

Kirk accepted that answer. "Intercept course, Mr. Sulu. Put us right in the middle of that thing."

Chekov watched the look of intense concentration slip back onto Hikaru's face. He'd been wearing it a lot since arriving on the Franklin. "Aye sir," Hikaru said grimly.

Chekov turned his attention back to the console. "Ze svarm ships are doubling back and forming an attack vawe, sir."

Kirk looked pleased by the development, surprising no one. "We've got their attention. Hold steady, Mr. Sulu. Brace yourselves, everybody. Spock, stand by to drop out of formation. Scotty, are you ready back there?"

"Aye, sir."

"Ready to broadcast at 57.7 Mhz," Nyota added.

"Made your choice, lassie?" Scotty asked Jaylah.

The young woman nodded grimly. "I have the beats and shouting."

Kirk's grin was devastating. "Let's make some noise," he said softly as tiny ships swarmed around them, ready to dive in and utterly wreck their ship. Chekov felt a momentary spike of fear, these were the same ships that had so utterly devastated the Enterprise, and the Franklin was being held together more by wishes than by actual physical construct.

Then the music started playing, a song that Chekov dimly recognized from late night ragers, an old classic… Sabotage by the Beastie Boys. He exchanged a glance with Hikaru, who looked surprised, but genuinely pleased by the selection.

"That's a good choice," Kirk murmured, echoing everyone's surprise and delight.

As the music filled the bridge, Chekov couldn't resist tapping his foot along to the beat, much as he tried to hold himself still. Watching the tiny ships around them swerve off course and crash into each other was nearly as satisfying as the music thrumming through his body. Glancing over at Hikaru, he saw that his boyfriend was even less restrained, first bobbing his head along to the beat, and then gradually moving his entire body in time with the pulsing music. Chekov tilted his head, hearing the echo of the music, and realizing that Yorktown had started playing the music as well, sending the swarming ships into a frenzy. Without their tightly-controlled method of communication, the ships veered off course, striking each other in brilliant firework displays. For a few minutes, there was nothing but fire and pounding music all around them, but finally the debris began to settle.

"You alright, Spock?" Kirk called into the comms.

"We are fine, Captain, but there are still three ships heading into Yorktown."

Kirk's face became grim once again. "It's got to be Krall. Keep on him, Spock. Do whatever it takes to stop him from using that weapon."

They guided the Franklin into Yorktown, cruising beneath the water of the river-like feature that Chekov had noticed during their first brief visit. He recalled wondering how deep the water really went, and apparently the answer was deep enough to accommodate a starship.

"Give me the schematics of Yorktown!" Kirk shouted, and Chekov called up blueprints immediately. "There, Yorktown headquarters!"

"Mr. Chekov, can you do a bioscan of Central Plaza?" Hikaru asked, his voice tight with worry.

"Aye, zey are clearing ciwilians," Chekov assured him, wishing that he could offer more comfort right now, but know that the best thing he could do for Hikaru and his family was to continue doing his job.

"Bones, there's a city plaza coming up, you have to make sure Krall heads for it. Just do it! Sulu, get us up there!" Kirk barked out.

"Hold onto something," Hikaru said grimly. He yanked on several levers, and the whole crew was jarred as they exploded out of the water. The entire ship shuddered as the three enemy ships slammed into the belly of the Franklin, caught completely off-guard. They hit the water again with an almighty splash, but the forward motion and the added push by Krall's vessels sent them flying forward until they were partly beached on the plaza.

As everyone caught their breaths, Chekov was typing at his console. "Keptin, I haff tree hull breaches from ze impact. Deck tree, ze cargo bay, and ze engine room."

Kirk nodded, already on his feet. "Alright, Sulu and Chekov, check the cargo bay and deck three. We need confirmation that the weapon has been neutralized, and that Krall is dead."

"Sir," Hikaru acknowledged, also leaping out of his seat. Chekov followed, drawing his phaser even as followed Hikaru down to deck three.

The ship that they found on deck three was a crumpled mess, filling the area around them with smoke. Covering his face with his sleeve, Hikaru approached the ship while Chekov covered him with the phaser. After a moment, Hikaru shook his head, retreating to join Chekov. In response to Chekov's questioning look, Hikaru simply said, "Dead."

The cargo bay was practically pitch-black, only broken by a single flickering light. The smoke didn't help either, and both men coughed as they searched for the ship. Following the smoke, they found the ship, and once again, Hikaru led the approach. This time, Chekov spotted a shape hulking near the ship, and he shouted a warning, firing his phaser at almost the exact same moment. Hikaru seemed to react on instinct, turning and firing in the same direction, and both phaser blasts hit the soldier, sending it crashing into its downed vessel, dead before it hit the ground.

"Thanks," Hikaru said with a crooked grin, and Chekov nodded, feeling more than a bit grim. They still hadn't found Krall, which surely meant…

"Sulu," Kirk's voice sounded over their comms. "Contact Yorktown security. Lock down the ship."

"Shit," Hikaru swore. "He's loose on the ship!" And both of them bolted back to the bridge, with Sulu shouting in his communicator the whole way. The whole way, they knew they'd be too late, the crew was already following evacuation protocol, and Krall had had ample opportunity to slip away.

Everyone split up shortly after, with Kirk chasing down Krall, Scotty and Jaylah heading to the controls for Yorktown, Spock and McCoy still flying about in their stolen vessel, and Nyota, Hikaru, and Chekov left behind to supervise the crew as everyone evacuated and was evaluated for injuries. They were a battered and weary crew, but they all mustered up a cheer when they received word from Scotty that Krall and his weapon had been safely neutralized, Kirk had survived his fight with Krall and near-ejection into space, and he, Spock, and McCoy were none the worse for wear after McCoy nearly crashed the alien ship onto the surface of Yorktown.

Chekov thought he would never forget Hikaru's face when Andy appeared at the crash site, holding tightly to Kaylah. The pure relief etched there was beautiful to behold, and Chekov could only watch, spellbound, as Hikaru ran to embrace them. Miko arrived moments later, looking as though she'd run across the entire starbase to find her family. Watching them all embrace, tears of joy running down their faces, Chekov nearly wanted to look away. They had stopped Krall's rampage, but somehow knowing that they had saved potentially billions of lives wasn't nearly as potent as watching the faces of the people who were practically family to him as well. Chekov watched them until Hikaru turned, extending his arm in invitation for Chekov to join the group embrace, and he went willingly into their arms. There would be time later to digest what had happened, for now they would just celebrate being alive and together again.

Hikaru Sulu clung to the reassuring weight of his little niece, not wanting to let go of her tiny body just yet. He's been so afraid that his family would be slaughtered by Krall despite their best efforts, and he couldn't quite believe that everyone in Yorktown was safe. Miko was sobbing in his ear, and Andy was murmuring comforting reassurances to all of them. And he could feel Pavel pressed against his side, and Sulu didn't want him to move from there either.

"Everything's fine, we're all okay," Sulu breathed out, shifting his weight to accommodate Kaylah as she reached out for her mother. Miko wiped her eyes before pasting a smile on her face as she reached out for her daughter.

"You made a mess, 'Karu," Kaylah said once she was safely in her mother's arms.

Pavel snorted, but Sulu kept his face as solemn as possible. "We only made a mess because the bad man was trying to make a bigger mess, but we'll get it all cleaned up," he assured her. Accepting that answer, the little one began to squirm, ready to go back home now that the excitement was over. Andy grabbed his wiggling daughter and started leading her back to their apartment.

"Was it bad?" Miko asked, her hand clasping her brother's wrist. "You both look…" She made a helpless gesture with her free hand.

Sulu glanced at Pavel, only to realize that his boyfriend's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for him to answer the question. They hadn't had even a moment to talk about their ordeal, didn't have a clue what each other had gone through on that strange planet.

"It wasn't good," Sulu decided. "But we're okay." If he said it often enough, it would be true, he wouldn't feel Krall's hand on his neck, forcibly removing something that seemed very much like life energy. He wouldn't see his own veins turning gray, wouldn't see the twisted features of helpless crewmates killed in the exact same way he could have been if Syl hadn't sacrificed her life for his. That's what she had done, he was sure of it. She'd been marked for death the moment Krall had discovered she'd hidden his precious weapon right under his very nose.

Pavel and Miko were both still staring at him, and Sulu forced himself to smile reassuringly. Miko narrowed her eyes at him, but led the way back to the apartment and joined Andy in setting out dinner. Both Sulu and Pavel ate like they were starving, realizing they hadn't eaten since the last time they were back at Yorktown. Then, though it was still quite early in the evening, Pavel trailed Sulu back to the bedroom they'd been given. They showered quickly, using real water instead of sonics, trying to scrub away the remnants of Altamid. After toweling themselves dry, they didn't bother dressing, just collapsed onto the bed together. At first, they just lay with their legs tangled, trading lazy kisses as their hands wandered over each other's bodies, checking for injuries, and reassuring themselves that they had both survived.

Sulu nipped gently at Pavel's lower lip before ducking his head to bury his face in the crook of Pavel's neck. The younger man ran his hand up Sulu's back, then came to rest on Sulu's neck, just over where Krall's hand had gripped him, and Sulu couldn't stop himself from shaking, reaching back to remove that hand and pinning it to the bed above Pavel's head.

"What happened to you there?" Pavel whispered, his lips brushing the top of Sulu's head with every word.

Sulu reached out, found Pavel's other hand, and pinned that one above his head too. Only then did he lever himself upright enough to stare down at his boyfriend. Soft hazel eyes gazed at him with concern.

"Let's talk about it later, okay?" Sulu whispered, fingers tangling themselves with Pavel's. The other man nodded, and Sulu adjusted their hands so that one of his pinned down both of Pavel's, then took advantage of his newfound freedom to wrap his hand around both of their cocks at once. Pavel moaned softly, his hips twitching a little under Sulu's touch. They were both still a little damp from the shower, which wasn't nearly slick enough, but Sulu kept moving his hand, while also pressing quick kisses to Pavel's lips, face, and neck. Soon enough, precome was slicking his hand with every movement, and that made everything quite a bit more enjoyable. Pavel made the most wrecked sounds underneath him, little whimpers and moans that Sulu quickly smothered under more insistent kisses.

Pavel came first, his whole body arching up against Sulu's, and his cries cut off under the press of Sulu's lips. He continued jerking both of their cocks until Pavel's soft noises became less about pleasure and more oversensitive. Releasing Pavel's softened cock, Sulu continued his ministrations on himself, staring down at Pavel's blissed-out expression before finally spending himself. Though he was tempted to leave the mess, Sulu knew that waking up would be unpleasant, so he grabbed a wet rag, cleaned them both, and then tossed the rag aside, mentally promising himself he'd deal with it later. Still feeling slightly hazy, he wrapped himself around Pavel, who had barely moved except to roll onto his side to accommodate Sulu. The young Russian was already nearly asleep, and Sulu decided to follow suit, burying his face again in Pavel's neck until his boyfriend's scent completely enveloped his senses and drove their last mission completely out of his mind.

It couldn't last, Sulu knew that. Having gone to bed so early, they both were awake at an unseemly hour, and just lay tangled together, just breathing and existing.

"'Karu, vhen are ve going to talk about vhat happened?" Pavel asked after not nearly enough time. Then again, Sulu felt certain he wouldn't be ready even after several months, maybe even years.

"Why do you want to talk about it?" he protested weakly.

"Ve haff alvays talked about it," Pavel argued. "Bad tings happen vhen ve do not talk about it."

Sulu said nothing, not sure if he should argue that this was a low blow or a valid point.

"I can start," Pavel suggested. When Sulu continued to say nothing, Pavel took that as a cue and gave a quick summary of meeting Kirk, Kalara's betrayal, meeting Jaylah, and the daring rescue mission. He downplayed his own work, but Pavel was crazy if he thought Sulu hadn't recognized his boyfriend's work the second he saw those transporters.

When he finished, Sulu took a deep breath. He was relieved that Pavel hadn't gone through too much on Altamid, had been mostly safe aside from that run-in on the Enterprise. And he quickly raced through the capture, the escape attempts, Syl's death.

Pavel was completely still when Sulu's finished explaining that, too overcome to continue. "Vhy? Vhy did she do dat? Vhy did she tell him she had dat veapon?" Pavel asked, his voice shaking a little.

Sulu couldn't begin to explain. But he had to try. "She… she did it to… She did it because Krall…" He gulped, fresh emotion washing over him. "You saw what Krall could do, right? Siphoning off life?" He felt Pavel nod against him. "He was going to do that. To me. He was killing me. When she stopped him. And then he killed her."

Pavel was visibly shocked, eyes wide and mouth open. His fingers fluttered up to cup Sulu's jaw, words failing him. "He… You… Hikaru…" he whispered helplessly. Then his expression hardened. "Did he hurt you badly?"

Sulu blinked. "It was… the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life," he admitted. "But I don't think it damaged me permanently."

"Poor Syl…" Pavel whispered. They had not been close, but she'd always been friendly, and they'd always exchanged pleasantries. "I don't… She saved you?" His fingers had landed on Sulu's pulse point, and it seemed that the reminder of Sulu's continued heartbeat was reassuring.

"She did," Sulu agreed. "And I couldn't save her."

Pavel's hand crept around to the back of Sulu's head, pulling him into a tighter embrace. Sulu stiffened, again reminded of the contact between himself and Krall. But he took a deep breath, trying to make himself relax into it. Krall was dead, and he was alive, and Pavel was here.

And then they both heard a knocking at the door, and Kaylah calling out to them. "Uncles? Are you awake? Get up!" she shouted.

Pavel looked briefly alarmed, but Sulu just smiled. "Don't worry, I locked the door," he murmured, kissing the shell of Pavel's ear. Then he pulled away, getting up to throw on some clothes. Pavel retreated to the bathroom just before Sulu opened the door, scooping up his still-knocking niece.

"Where's Uncle Pavel?" she demanded when Sulu opened the door alone.

"He'll be out in a just a second," Sulu promised, scooping her up and walking towards the kitchen.

Miko was already there, drinking coffee and straightening her work jacket. She looked surprised when her younger brother walked in, and even more surprised that he was carrying her daughter. "Oh, Hikaru, I'm sorry. I didn't even realize she was awake. I was letting Andy have a lie-in since she seemed to be asleep too."

"It's fine, Pavel and I were awake," Sulu said, sitting down at the table and settling Kaylah in his lap.

"Da, vas no trouble to get up," Pavel agreed, appearing in the doorway of the kitchen. His curls were in disarray, but otherwise he looked quite presentable. Miko smiled weakly at both of them.

"Still, this can't be the sort of relaxing vacation you were expecting of your shore leave," she said. "She's a doll, but she's still a toddler, and you guys didn't come all the way here just to babysit."

"Nonsense," Sulu protested.

"You should find out how long it'll take to get a new ship, and maybe spend some time in a hotel," Miko insisted. "You're always welcome here," she continued, reading the look her brother was giving her, "but you should have some time to yourselves as well. I insist."

Sulu glanced over at Pavel, who was sitting down with two mugs of coffee and a plate of toast. Pavel shrugged. "Ve can consider it," he said.

Miko nodded as though everything had been settled. "I'll find you a place. Just see how long you'll be at the base, and maybe spend half the time at the hotel or something."

Knowing it was useless to argue, Sulu nodded his agreement before helping himself to a slice of the toast.

True to her word, Miko did find them a lovely hotel, something quite a bit nicer than Sulu probably would have picked, or that Starfleet would have picked for them. It had a truly massive king-sized bed, a tub that was large enough for half a dozen people, and too many amenities to count.

"This place is ridiculous," Sulu said, setting down his bag.

"She vants us to haff a good time, it vould seem," Pavel chuckled. Then he stepped right into Sulu's space, their bodies nearly touching. "It vas wery nice of her to do dis for us. I tink it vill be nice of haff a leetle time togezzer. Avay from ozzer distractions." His hand came up to rest on Sulu's chest. "I haff spent so much time being vorried about you, it vill be nice to relax and know dat you are safe."

Sulu blinked, oddly touched. "You were that worried?"

Pavel's eyes narrowed a little, his hand fixed on his fingers splayed across Sulu's shirt. "Of course I vas dat vorried. Vhy not? You vere vorried about me, da?"

Sulu paused. Of course he'd been worried about Pavel, but… There had been Krall… and the crew… and the fear… and the escape attempts… and coming so close to dying… But Pavel had read something in his hesitation and now looked up to meet Sulu's eyes.

"You vere not vorried?"

"I…" Sulu tried not to let himself pause again because apparently his silence had been an incorrect response. "I worried, of course I did, but… Pav, there was a lot going on where I was. Trying to stay alive and escape and all."

"Da, I vas busy too. Trying to find you." Pavel had taken a step back, and Sulu could feel the situation slipping out of his control.

"I know you were busy, and I'm really glad you rescued us. But I'm not… You weren't THERE, Pavel, you hadn't been taken captive with the rest of us, and there wasn't a lot I could do! Worrying wasn't going to make your situation any better, and I wanted to escape first, and then I could have worried about finding you!"

"So you only haff room in your head for one ting, making your plan?" Pavel asked, taking another step back.

"That's not fair," Sulu snapped. "I want you to be safe, but… I didn't even know if you were alive, or where your ship had crashed, or anything! All I knew is that you weren't with me, and that I couldn't do anything about that while I was a prisoner!"

Pavel crossed his arms, seeming to struggle for words. He ducked his head, hiding his expression from Sulu, which only served to enflame him more.

"You have no room to talk, you know! If you're saying this because you think I don't care about you… You're the one that's spent the last few months changing the subject whenever I try to talk to you about…" The word marriage stuck in his throat, and he couldn't force it out. "You were the one who was so eager to get into a relationship, but now you don't want to talk about commitment! If you're getting cold feet, just tell me, and quit playing around!"

Pavel looked up then, twin spots of angry red lighting up his cheeks. His eyes were dark with fury. "Do not turn dis around on me," he snapped. "Eef you really tink my lowe for you is so fickle, den vhat are you still doing here?"

"That's a great question," Sulu snapped right back. "I'm going to take a walk." And with that, he turned on his heel, striding out the door without looking back. He didn't want to know whether Pavel reached out to stop him, or if he was just letting Sulu go.

A/N: Woo, dramatic little shits, aren't they? Next chapter is the last chapter! Will the boys make up, or are we going to watch them crash and burn?

Also, I FINISHED THE FIC! It's officially done, I just need to do my usual editing of the chapter! I'll probably wait a week or so to post, unless sapphireanguill threatens to strangle me in my sleep or something. She's so mean.